Winneba; The undiscovered tour Haven

 

Winneba;  

The undiscovered tour haven

You might have heard of Winneba due to its annual rich Aboakyer festival, masquerade competition, its University or probably its rich musical exploits.

It is very true that Winneba has been tagged as a popular destination or site for the afore mentioned factors. However most people including indigenes never knew the full attributes of the‘brand’ Winneba. Yes I see Winneba as a ‘strong brand ‘when it comes to both regular tourism and eco-tourism! Seemingly Winneba has enormous and unexploited tourism potentials. Well it is no doubt that some people might have identified one or two potentials that would be mentioned in this article, however at the end of this article readers would know that Winneba is a restful, therapeutic, and a low cost tourism destination.  So if you are interested in ; having a quality rest, nature, sightseeing, hiking, obtaining cultural and historical information, ethnomusicology, leisure fishing and probably cruising then Winneba is obviously your next tourism destination. Below are five brand attributes of ‘Winneba’

Serene Environment

Area view of Winneba from the top of the UEW South Campus Administration Block

Winneba is generally a very calm place to rest. The town is devoid of huge industries, serious environmental pollution, excessive noise making, the usual buzzing and honking of car horns and excessive traffic whether human or vehicular like in the cities. The splendid rural coastal setting coupled with its strategic beautiful beaches and quality in its breeze makes Winneba a very conducive place for taking a rest and cutting yourself from the regular stressful world.

When in Winneba as a tourist or an ordinary visitor, you can be guaranteed of a very serene restful environment, which is so natural and refreshing to your body and mind. As the Latin aphorises goes; ‘mens sana in corpore sano’; A healthy mind lives in a healthy body. Develop a sound mind by visiting Winneba today!

Culturally Endowed

A section of Clan Representatives wielding their staffs

 

Your visits to Winneba would not be complete without building on your knowledge in culture. The town is very much wealthy in history and culture such that the listener or the visitor will be held spell bound.  The culture of the town is reflected in the various festivals and common talents of the indigenes. Notably the Aboakyer festival and the masquerade/carnival competition has its own unique historical accounts and communicates superficially the existence of a rich culture underneath.  The regalia of the chiefs, the colourful Asafo vestments, the various staffs and swords wielded by the family heads during festivals and the rich traditional rituals all attests to the rich culture that abounds in Winneba. One cannot also forget the colourful and fashionable dresses exhibited by the masquerade, coupled with the rich brass music and dancing styles exhibited by these masquerade groups.

Musically Rich

The town is very much identified as a hub of rich music. Being it choral, traditional or contemporary music forms, Winneba ha it! Notable groups like the Winneba Youth Choir, Akoo Show boys Choir, the Osimpah Ompeh group, the Adziwa, the Asafo, ,Apatampa groups among others can all be found in the town. It is amazing that these groups have set the foundation for the rich and unbeatable musical feats of some people from Winneba. Mention can be made of Bob Pinado ; a notable dance band music icon,  the iconic Composer George Mensah Essilfie, James Varrick Armah; composer and founder of the prestigious Harmonious Chorale, the ever enthusiastic and energy driven  Akoo Show Choir among other great musicians and composers. The fact is that musicians and composers from Winneba cannot be side-lined when it comes to history and the current outlook of choral music in Ghana. Additionally it is not surprising that Winneba became the centre for the establishment of the National Academy of Music (NAM) which trained some of the finest Ghanaian musical talents including Papa Yankson, Bessa Simons among others.

In my opinion, I think any Ethnomusicologist, cannot study the current musical style of individuals, groups and composers from Ghana without studying critically Winneba’s music forms.

Akoo Show Boys Choir

Amazing Sites

The town was once known as ‘Windy Bay’ according to oral traditional accounts due to its favourable windy coasts which favoured the early European settlers a great deal. Lovers of nature and tourism can be certain to have real value for their money by visiting Winneba. Gifted with natural land features including plains, mangrove vegetation, beaches, mountains, hills, lagoons and rivers, the place becomes an ideal location for sight-seeing. There are various bird species, fish and sea turtles that can be found along the cost of Winneba.  The South Western cost of Winneba has been designated as a Ramsar site and seeks to preserve the lives of huge Sea Turtles .

The tourist can decide to hike in the beautifully sectored Mankoadzi hill or enjoy an early morning 5 Km walk from the Sir Charles Beach towards the naturally beautiful Mankaodze beach.  Importantly, Winneba is flanked by two estuaries which are the Muni and the Ayensu estuaries. The amazing gushing, rustling and rumbling sounds created by the lagoon which empties itself into the sea are all therapeutic and amazing sights and sounds to behold and hear.

An Area view of the Moni Lagoon and Mankoadzi Hills

   

Moderate Cost of Living

It is not that much expensive to enjoy the town. Going on sight-seeing, adding to existing knowledge or visiting during any of these festivals would not drain you financially!  O yes when in Winneba, you are expected to spend moderately on either transportation, lodging or food. You might have to pay a moderate fee to  your tourist guard. However exclusive information might incur few cedis depending on the source.

The Branding Continues…

My subsequent posts will have a strategic focus and explore each single attribute of the brand ‘Winneba’. It will be accompanied by amazing pictures and videos that will paint a vivid and real life experience of the brand. So fasten your seat belt and join me on this crazy, fun and intriguing journey on the brand ‘Winneba’ I bet you would love the adventure!

Visit Winneba Today

It would not be bad to consider Winneba as your next destination for any of the reasons mentioned above. You can contact me whenever you make a resolution to embark on this educational and adventure based tour. See you.

Compiled by;

Richard Abakah-Akumah (MC Afedzi)

Professional MC
Research Assistant

Online Marketer/Digital Marker

Singer/Songwritter
+233262155356/ +233209798199 
ibrandafrika@gmail.com
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